The Latino Commission on AIDS is a nonprofit membership organization dedicated to fighting the spread of HIV/AIDS in the Latino community.
In response to the critical, unmet need for HIV prevention and care for Latinos, a coalition of Latino leaders founded the agency in 1990. The Commission realizes its mission by spearheading health advocacy for Latinos, promoting HIV education, developing model prevention programs for high-risk communities, and by building capacity in community organizations. Through its extensive network of member organizations and community leaders, the Commission works to mobilize an effective Latino community response to the health crisis created by HIV/AIDS. Since 1995, the Commission has steadily expanded its services outside New York to meet the emerging needs of Latino communities in more than 40 States and Puerto Rico.
Since its inception, the Commission has been directed by Dennis de Leon, a tireless advocate and national leader of the Latino community struggle to address the epidemic until his passing in December 2009. Guillermo Chacón, former Vice-President of the Latino Commission on AIDS and a national leader on Latinos and HIV/AIDS issues was named President by the Board of Directors in November 2009.
The Commission is dedicated to resolving the HIV crisis in the Latino community, where social stigma, poverty, language barriers, immigration status fears, and access to care, deter testing and increase the infection rate. Over 200,000 Latinos in the U.S. and Puerto Rico are living with HIV/AIDS. The fastest growing ethnic group in the U.S., Latinos constitute 17% of the U.S. population but account for over 19% of the AIDS cases.
The Commission’s public health model encompasses five core and complementary services provided to Latino communities: health education, HIV prevention, capacity building, advocacy, and health behavioral research. All services are offered in Spanish by a culturally diverse bilingual staff of health, education and business professionals.
• Health Education
• HIV Prevention
• Capacity Building Assistance
• Advocacy & Awareness
• Hispanic Health Behavioral Research
Spreading the Message
With illustrations and pictures, the Latino Commission on AIDS has used many powerful images the message education, to spread of prevention, training or awareness.